Q2 is closing soon, so there will be a re-set on several selling metrics: quotas will click back to start, pipeline growth will re-set at the same floor for all, and all other quantitative score-keeping will return to zero.

Hopefully, Q2 was a good quarter for you, and the start of Q3 invites optimism and a new plan for another great performance. Quarterly strategic reviews and previews should prompt you to elevate your thinking beyond your usual tactical moves.

Data is the foundation for smart, strategic selling, and it starts with analyzing key sales metrics. At the minimum, measure actual revenue against projections for each key account. That data will tell you a lot about your ability to project revenue and work an account.

Metrics like pipeline size and close rate are important but not as crucial as understanding what your customers want to buy – from you and competitors. With that comes your knowledge of objections and obstacles that exist per account; your CRM might not have a place to store that kind of intel, so figure out how to integrate it into your account review forms.

The next crucial piece of data is the examination of buyer personnel: are the KDMs who claim to hold decision power truly those who can say "yes"? What about champions? Do you have champions on the buy-side? If so, are they able to help you understand the true obstacles that prevent you from breaking or growing the business?

Account reviews are powerful exercises between you, your manager and other enablement personnel. Make sure you collect the right data and focus on what’s important to help unlock higher revenue for the next quarters.